Different types of missiles have been produced in response to varying defense needs. Some missiles are designed for tactical uses, while others are designed for strategic uses. Typically, tactical missiles are relatively simple in design, may be produced in large quantities, and may be used for shorter flight missions. Strategic missiles, on the other hand, are employed for long duration operation and thus, are generally more complex in design. Strategic missiles may be relatively expensive to produce, and thus, produced in small quantities. As the demand for these types of missiles has risen, the desire for added capabilities has also increased. In particular, tactical and strategic missiles having precision guidance capabilities are now desired.
In the past, precision guidance systems have been used to guide launch vehicles and have been relatively expensive to produce. The high cost of manufacture has been due, in part, to the need to construct components from materials capable of withstanding high temperatures and erosion. In recent years, refractory metals have been used to construct the guidance system components, using conventional means and methods. For instance, the components have been formed or machined from refractory metals, or made in several pieces and subsequently adhered or welded together. These refractory metals are relatively heavy and expensive, and the use of large amounts of these metals has not been practical.
To defray costs, yet maintain the desirable properties of refractory metals, the system components have also been constructed from other materials, such as insulating materials, in conjunction with the refractory metals. Components manufactured by these materials are constructed by shaping the insulating material into a desired shape, shaping the refractory metal into an outer shell, and then coupling the shell to the shaped insulating material.
Although these methods have been sufficient for manufacturing precision guidance systems for use with launch vehicles, they have not been adequate for missile implementation. In particular, missiles are generally smaller than launch vehicles and thus, have space constraints. Conventional manufacturing methods have not been as successful in constructing high quality components having the requisite dimensions and complex shapes needed for desired precision guidance capabilities in these space constraints. Moreover, manufacturing costs of precision guidance systems are still high and inclusion of these costly methods in the manufacture of missiles increases the cost of the missiles.
Thus, there is a need for a method of manufacturing a missile that is cost-efficient and reliable. It is desirable to have a method for manufacturing a missile that may be implemented for mass production of precisely-dimensioned missile components. The present invention addresses one or more of these needs.